Ukuta angavu una picha nyingi.

The bright wall has many pictures.

Breakdown of Ukuta angavu una picha nyingi.

• kuwa na: to have
• picha: the picture
• nyingi: many
• ukuta: the wall
• angavu: bright

Questions & Answers about Ukuta angavu una picha nyingi.

Which noun class does ukuta belong to, and how does that affect the verb una?

Swahili nouns are grouped into classes that determine agreement on verbs.

• ukuta has the prefix u-, marking it as class 3 (singular).
• The verb “to have” is kuwa na. In the present tense you combine the class 3 subject prefix u-
  • the tense marker -na-
    • the root na (“have”), which simplifies to una.

If ukuta were, say, a class 5/6 noun, you’d see a different subject prefix (for example i-/zi-, giving zina instead of una).

What is the difference between una and kuna, since both seem to deal with 'there is/are'?

una comes from kuwa na and means “it has” (possession).
kuna is an existential form – “there is/there are” – built from the infinitive prefix ku- + the present marker -na- of -a (“be”).

Examples:

• Ukuta una picha nyingi. → “The wall has many pictures.”
• Kuna picha ukutani. → “There are pictures on the wall.”

You use una for ownership/possession and kuna to state existence.

Why is the adjective angavu after ukuta, and why doesn’t it change form?

In Swahili, descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun (noun + adjective).
angavu (“bright”) is one of those invariable adjectives that never takes a noun-class prefix or changes its ending. So you always say ukuta angavu, not angavu ukuta or u-angavu ukuta.

How do we get nyingi in picha nyingi? Where does the n- come from?

The root for “many” is ingi. To agree with a class 9/10 noun like picha, you add the class 9/10 adjective prefix n- to ingi, yielding ningi.
Spelling rules turn ningi into nyingi, so picha nyingi literally is “pictures many” → “many pictures.”

Why doesn’t Swahili use 'a' or 'the' before ukuta angavu?

Swahili has no separate articles. Nouns stand alone, and context shows whether they’re definite or indefinite.
Thus ukuta angavu can mean “a bright wall” or “the bright wall” depending on what you’re talking about.

Why is there no locative preposition like kwenye or juu ya for 'on the wall' in this sentence?

The verb kuwa na (“to have”) inherently links wall and pictures, so no extra preposition is required.
If instead you want an existential construction with “on,” you’d say:
Kuna picha nyingi kwenye ukuta angavu.
(“There are many pictures on the bright wall.”)

If I wanted to say “the wall with many pictures,” how would I express that in Swahili?

Use the relative adjective wenye, which agrees with class 3:
ukuta wenye picha nyingi → “the wall with many pictures.”

Can I say angavu ukuta una picha nyingi instead of ukuta angavu una picha nyingi for emphasis?

Standard Swahili word order is noun + adjective, so ukuta angavu. Fronting angavu (angavu ukuta) sounds poetic or marked. For everyday speech, stick with ukuta angavu una picha nyingi.